The Everglades comprise almost the entire southern tip of Florida, the entire park is made up of tropical wetlands that during the wet season flow south to Florida Bay. The Shark Valley entrance to the park is on the northern border of the park. My favorite part of this entrance is the amazing 15 mile bike path that leads you out to an observation tower in the middle of the wetlands. Along the ride you will be able to see wildlife like never before, the hardest part of the ride will be trying to keep far enough from the alligators because they like to sun on the hot asphalt of the bike path. There is also a shuttle that can drive you out to the tower and back if you're not ready for a 15 mile bike ride through the Florida summer, you will however be restricted to the stops for wildlife and plants that the shuttle makes. Throughout our travels The Everglades is the park where we saw the most wildlife the entire trip. From alligators to heron and spiders to scorpions the only animal we didn't get a glimpse of was the elusive Florida Panther and with a population size under 200 that is to be expected.
